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County recorder says prior meeting violated open-meeting expectations; commissioners dispute several points
Summary
Birch County recorder Kaya Bowden told the Rich County Commission she believes a previous meeting violated the Utah Open Public Meetings Act and said she was not given adequate notice or opportunity to respond. Commissioners disputed the assertion of an illegal closed meeting but acknowledged they could have done a better job inviting Bowden to speak and said service-level problems have since improved.
Kaya Bowden, identified in the meeting as the Birch County recorder, told the Rich County Commission on Dec. 10 that a previous commission meeting had mishandled an agenda item that concerned her office and that the meeting violated the Utah Open Public Meetings Act (UOPMA). Bowden said the agenda described the item inaccurately (as a "resolution of appointment of a county representative") and that she was not properly notified or given an opportunity to respond when the item discussed issues she said were not her responsibility.
"I will get to that," Bowden said as she outlined several specific concerns and alleged misinformation discussed at the earlier meeting. She said some attendees had already visited her office and that a more thorough pre-meeting outreach to her would have resolved multiple points without public airing.
Commissioners responded that the earlier meeting was an open meeting and that attendees had presented complaints about service levels. One commissioner said the issue was service delivery, not a personal attack, and acknowledged a best-practice error in not inviting Bowden into the meeting more proactively. "I don't disagree that we maybe could've done things better," a commissioner said. Another commissioner said there was no illegal meeting and that the commission was entitled to hear complaints presented by the public.
After discussion, commissioners asked Bowden for a short update about her office's backlog and progress. Bowden reported that the immediate public grievances had been addressed and that routine processing (e.g., name changes and SEGs) was within normal timelines.
The commission did not take a formal disciplinary or corrective vote on Bowden's allegations during the meeting. Staff and commissioners said they would commit to improved outreach and transparency around items that concern county staff.
Sources: Kaya Bowden presentation and commissioners' responses at the Rich County Commission meeting, Dec. 10, 2025.
